LITMIR.BIZ

      There was a wood on the other side – a thick, deep forest called Shadow Woods with tall trees that shut out the light. No one ever went in there, and at school people whispered stories of strange things that had been seen moving through the gloom. Sophie didn’t really believe them, but even so she rarely played in the woods, and only that morning her grandpa had warned her again not to go into them. She remembered that now.

      We’re not really going into the woods, she told herself as she ran to the first oak tree. The key was nestling in its roots. Sophie grabbed it, but as she straightened up, something pale and human-sized seemed to move in the trees. Startled, she stopped and stared. What was that? But the shadows were dark and still again.

      Pants! She’d wasted time! Turning round, Sophie climbed back over the fence and raced to the shed, clutching the key. “Home!” she gasped triumphantly as she hit the shed door with her hand. Sam clicked the stop button.

      “So how long did it take me to rescue the magic key?” Sophie demanded.

      “One minute, seven point zero four seconds!”

      Not bad, Sophie thought. If she hadn’t hesitated by the tree then she’d have been even faster. She glanced back at the woods. She’d been sure she’d seen something move there. But no, she couldn’t have.

      “My turn!” Sam chucked her the stopwatch and started to climb nimbly on to the shed roof. Meanwhile, Sophie jogged back to replace the key by the oak tree. As she climbed over the fence, the woods felt strangely still – there wasn’t even a single bird singing. Goosebumps prickled over her bare arms.

      You’re being silly, she told herself firmly. There’s nothing here.

      Placing the key down in the roots of the tree, she headed back to the shed. Sam was waiting on the roof, his blue eyes determined. She lifted the stopwatch. “OK, on your marks… get set… GO!”

      “Geronimo!” Sam yelled as he slid down the drainpipe. He was useless at anything that involved a bat or a ball, but he was a fast runner as well as a good climber. He sprinted across the lawn, jumping over the flowerbed. However, he was more cautious then Sophie when it came to finishing the monkey bars. He didn’t jump at the end, but climbed down the ladder.

      He’s slower than me! Sophie thought triumphantly. I’m going to win!

      Sam reached the oak tree. He rummaged about in the roots. Then he rummaged some more. Finally, he stood up and turned to her. “Where is it?” he shouted indignantly.

      Sophie frowned. “What do you mean?”

      “It isn’t here. Where did you put it?”

      Sophie put her hands on her hips. “It is there. I put it in the roots.”

      “Well, I can’t see it.”

      Sophie ran towards him, scrambling over the fence. “I left it just there.” She pointed, but to her surprise the space between the tree roots was empty. She stared. Was Sam playing a trick on her? Sophie checked his face. “You really haven’t got it?”

      “I swear I haven’t.”

      They both began to hunt around, but there was no sign of the key anywhere. Sophie bit her lip, her eyes wide. “It’s gone!”

      Sam’s face paled. “What’s your grandpa going to say?”

      Sophie felt sick. Grandpa Bob was not the kindly type of smiley grandpa lots of her friends had – he was grumpy with sharp blue eyes and a grey, grizzled beard. He usually ignored Sophie

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